Kale chips

With the spring CSA and the bunches of kale that have come with it, I started making kale chips and am hooked on them now. They're so easy to make and surprisingly tasty too.

There are lots of kale chip variants around. The one I started with was posted on allrecipes.com. I use an olive oil spray instead of drizzling, but the results come out pretty much the same.

Start with a bunch (or bunches) of kale washed very well. All those curvy and frilly leaves can capture a lot of dirt. Dirt is fine for growing things, but doesn't make for very good eats.

Once the kale is nice and clean, rip the leaves off the stems into bite sized pieces. Dry them off well. A salad spinner works really well for this. If you're going to use regular olive oil, drizzle 1-2 tablespoons (depending on how much kale you have) over the leaves and mix around so that all the leaves are coated.

Lay the leaves onto a sheet pan in a single layer. Spray with olive oil (skip this if you've already used oil) and then sprinkle on your seasoning of choice. I like Old Bay. Don't use too much.

Throw into an oven at 350°F (176°C) and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Check on them at around the 8 minute mark. If you ripped your kale into small pieces, they might be done already. When the leaves start turning brown at the edges and looking a little shiny, take them out and let them cool. As they cool, they'll start to get a little crispy.

Once they've cooled down some, dump them into a bowl and enjoy.

You might have to go through a few iterations to get the amount of seasoning you put on right. You might even want to try them naked (unseasoned), but I find kale chips a little on the bitter side that way.